Preemie Tots: A Pilot Study to Understand the Effects of Prematurity in Toddlerhood

The Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II stage 2 (PDDST-II) is a 14-item measure designed to discriminate Autism Spectrum Disorders from a related non-autistic developmental disorder in children ages 12 to 48 months old. The min score is 0 and the max score is 14. Scores equal to or greater than five yield a positive screen for autism. PDDST-II scores were measured at baseline and then again at study completion (90 days post randomization). The scores were calculated as the PDDST-II value at 90 days minus the PDDST-II value at baseline.

Brief Infant-Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) is a 42 item tool that is useful for identifying social-emotional problems and/or deficits in children. BITSEA includes the following subscales: Competence (11 Items, min score:0, max score:22), problem behaviors--dysregulation (8 items, min score:0, max score:16) , externalizing (6 items, min score:0, max score:12), internalizing (8 items, min score:0, max score:16), Autism Spectrum Disorder (17 Items, min score:0, max score:34), and Red Flags (14 items, min score:0, max score:28).The questions overlap and the problem subscale is a combination of dysregulation, externalizing, and internalizing. Higher problem scores indicate greater levels of social-emotional/behavioral problems. Lower Competence scores indicate possible delay/deficit. Scores were measured at baseline and then again at study completion (90 days post randomization). The change in BITSEA scores were calculated as the value at 90 days - the value at baseline.

The secondary outcome measures in this trial involve an examination of change in fatty acids from the first study visit to the final study visit.

Feasibility of a future full-scale multi-site study is assessed by examining the number of children screened, the proportion of these children who screen positive for ASD, the number of children who agree to participate in the trial, the number of children who return for the second and third study visits, baseline differences in individual fatty acids between the intervention and comparison groups, and adherence to the assigned treatment.